


awake

by worstgirl



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: After the play, Angst, Brooke is a sweetie, Cats, Chloe is trying her best, Cliffhanger, Clyde makes an appearance, Fluff, Gen, He’s crying, Hurt/Comfort, Jake doesn’t stop talking, Jenna needs more appreciation, Lisping rich, Michael really really blames himself, Mr. Heere is shaping up to be a good dad [tm], Platonic (?) stagedorks, Poor dad jokes, Post-Canon, Rich blames himself, They all need hugs, We love to hurt jeremy heere, comatose jeremy, jake and christine and brooke start a club, like big cliffhanger, platonic squip squad everywhere, slight deviance from canon, so really read this as any ship you want, the squip squad is all friends, the squip squad is helping mr. heere, twitter war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 23:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worstgirl/pseuds/worstgirl
Summary: “Hey, Jeremy. As always, I’m sorry about Halloween.”“Hey, Jerry! So I know you probably can’t hear me...”“Hi, Jeremy, there’s so much to tell you this week-““Heya, Jer, hope you’re doing okay.”“Hey, tallath. My lithp ithn’t getting any better, if you couldn’t tell.”“Hey bro. Sorry I’m late this week.”“Hey, Miah. I miss you, a lot. I’ve been trying to hope that you’ll wake up soon...”“Hey, sport.... Your mother heard about where you were....”~~~Jeremy Heere wasn’t awake. He hadn’t been awake, not truly, in almost three months.





	awake

Jeremy Heere wasn’t awake. He hadn’t been awake, not truly, in almost three months. His breathing was steady and his brain activity was like that of someone that was awake, but he himself wasn’t awake. His eyes were closed and he was unresponsive to touch and sound. It had been some defect with the squip, as if Jeremy had gone into total shutdown.

 

The doctors said it wasn’t going to last. They said he would either wake up, or he wouldn’t, but either way- it would happen soon. 

 

The others had all woken up nearly a week after the play, but still Jeremy was asleep. It had gotten to the point where their tiny group- brought together by whatever the hell had happened that night on the auditorium stage- had arranged a schedule. Each day of the week, one of them would come after school and just sit and talk to him, even if none of them were completely sure that he could hear. 

 

Mondays were Chloe’s days. She had been the most hesitant to go to these little weekly sessions, but she had gotten more used to them, which was simultaneously good and awful- good because she felt more at ease, but also bad because she shouldn’t feel at ease while Jeremy was comatose.

 

“Hey Jeremy. As always, I’m sorry about Halloween, and being a bitch to you. I’m trying to be better. Hell, I even gave Madeline a hug today because I found her crying. Even if she is faking being French. I just wish you were awake. Even if we weren’t very close. We’re all worried about you.” 

 

Tuesdays were for Brooke. She always brought a little something for Jeremy’s nurse when she came, and usually sat closer to the bed than Chloe. She mainly prattled on about little things that seemed inconsequential to most, but were a huge deal to her- she figured Jeremy would like that better than constant apologies. 

 

“Hey Jerry! So I know you probably can’t hear me, but maybe if you can you’ll appreciate this. I found a tiny box of kittens on the side of the road- like who even does that anymore, that’s just sick!- but I took them in but my mom said I can only keep one. I gave one to each of the others, but there’s one I’m holding for you, her name is Clyde- Michael named her, said it was some video game thing. Once you- once you wake up she’ll be waiting for you. Hope you wake up soon, so you can see the tiny kitten- she’s so adorable.”

 

Wednesdays were Jenna’s days. She always made sure to turn off her phone when she came in, setting aside half an hour just to talk to Jeremy. She normally sat in content silence, occasionally telling Jeremy a little factoid or bit of gossip she had learned- sometimes she read aloud from her blog. 

 

“Hi, Jeremy, there’s so much to tell you this week- Dustin Kropp got busted for weed in his locker, finally, even though everyone knew he had it. Also, people have quieted down about what happened to you at the play. I argued with Jamie Landover about it on twitter, you missed that war. He said something about how you deserved it and you probably OD’d on drugs but I defended your honour, don’t worry about that. You won’t have anyone attacking you on my watch when you wake up.”

 

Thursdays were for Christine, the only day she had free from the show she was doing. She was the one that possibly blamed themselves the most, other than Michael and Rich. She brought her phone, playing Jeremy a little clip from her show, or a snatch of a song, or just ranting about something new- she always had had very set opinions. 

 

“Heya Jer, hope you’re doing okay. Update on the show- the kid playing Aslan is honestly terrible, but I think I’m doing well! I have to scream three times, which is pretty hard, but I’m figuring out how to do it and not wreck my voice. The show’s in a week and a half, maybe you’ll wake up in time to see it. I hope you wake up soon. I miss you. I want to talk to you, but over lunch or something, not over a heart monitor. Please wake up.”

 

Fridays were Rich’s days. His one-sided conversations held the most apologies, for the SQUIP, for being a jerk, for everything. He sat in the chair, just watching Jeremy and his still face with such a look of regret and guilt the nurses left him alone for the time he spent there.

 

“Hey, tallath. My lithp ithn’t getting any better, if you couldn’t tell. Thtill can’t thay my th’th. But I’m tho thorry, for everything I thaid and did to you. And Michael. And- and everyone. I’m having thome bitheckthual problemth, thpeaking of Michael. But- he’th vulnerable right now. I with- I with I wath the one thtill in a coma, not you. If only for hith thake. Pleathe wake up.” 

 

Jake always came in on Saturday. It was the only time he got away from his various clubs- Model UN, debate team, chess club, he’d even joined anime club just for the hell of it. He leaned his crutches up against the side table, which was littered with get-well cards that Jeremy might never read. He stayed the longest, because he talked the most.

 

“Hey, bro. Sorry I’m late this week, I’m trying to convince Reyes to sponsor a new club. He’s surprisingly still allowed to teach there, which is a miracle after the play fiasco, y’know? But anyway, the club I’m trying to start is called the SQUIP Squad. I know the name is probably not the best idea, but it stands for Students for the Quick Understanding of Identities and Personalities. Christine and Brooke helped with the name. It’s for kids like you and Rich who kinda faded into the background and get them to make friends and shit, so we don’t have any more problems on our hands. We’re trying to spread the knowledge. Right now we’ve only had one meeting and we’ve already got a few members- there’s this freshman who does card tricks that are hella cool, man, you should see them. I hope you’ll like it when you wake up. I really want you to wake up, we’re all bummed without you, man.” 

 

Sundays were the most emotional days. Mornings were for Michael. At first, he didn’t even want to visit Jeremy, after what he’d done. But he figured that it would be against the best friend code of conduct if he didn’t. Plus, he couldn’t help but hope that Jeremy would wake up for him. Maybe 12 years of friendship was enough, but he was steadily losing hope.

 

“Hey, Miah. I miss you, a lot. I’ve been trying to hope that you’ll wake up soon, but it just… it seems so unlikely now. Please prove me wrong, please say you can hear me, or move, or something…. yeah, I didn’t expect you to…. You would’ve asked why I’m crying, then, so goddamn blunt all the time. God, I miss you. I’m trying to figure out how I can help, or why this happened, but I can’t find anything. Not even on Yahoo Answers. Can you tell I’m desperate? But at least your, um, your friends are helping out. They’re keeping an eye on your dad when I can’t, y’know? He’s figuring out how to do this whole dad thing, and I think you’ll be really impressed if- when you wake up. Jake and Brooke and Christine are all trying to start a club for the outcasts and shit, which is actually a really nice idea. They tried naming it after you, but I told them you’d hate that. The only thing you’d want named after you is your own brand of cookies, I said. Remember that? You tried calling snickerdoodle cookies Jeremy cookies when we were six because you liked them so much, and said the cinnamon on top looked like your freckles…. Please wake up, Jeremy, I need my best friend. I don’t even- I kind of want an apology, but right now, I just want you awake. I know it’s cliche, but I’m lost without my best friend. Please, Jer. Wake up soon.”

 

Afternoons were for Mr. Heere. He’d been getting back on his feet after the play, but his son in a coma hit him hard. He would have been there every day of the week, but Michael had convinced him that Jeremy would prefer him to try to make himself better. His conversations were filled with updates on his friends, and were interspersed with awkward pauses, as if Mr. Heere was waiting for him to respond. 

 

“Hey, sport…. Your mother heard about where you were… I told her you wouldn’t want her here. I hope I did the right thing…. but also, that cat Brooke has for you is cute. She seems to like it in your room… the cat, not Brooke. Heh… also, I hope you don’t mind that I’m offering our spare room to that tall friend of yours, Jake. He’s been spending his days in a hotel. I’m not replacing you or anything… Your room is still going to be there when you wake up…. Except I may not be, I’m working at the office more, and I… I decided I’m going to go to night school for a bit, to get a better job to take care of you… It was your girlfriend- is she your girlfriend? She says she isn’t, but she looks really sad when she does- but it was her idea, really. She’s been around the house, so has Michael… I think your friends are checking up on me almost as much as they are on you… funny, because I’m not the one in a…… Sorry, I don’t mean to get emotional. I miss you, son, please wake up.” 

 

A shift from the bed startled Mr. Heere out of his words, his hand frozen on his cheeks from where he was brushing away a tear before it fell into his beard. A small groan issued from Jeremy, who hadn’t made a true noise in almost two and a half months. Mr. Heere could only stare at him, holding his breath. 

 

Then, Jeremy Heere opened his eyes. 

**Author's Note:**

> my experimentation with the whole SQUIP squad. I’m trying to not make any of them ooc, so sorry about that. 
> 
> Also,, some of my personal headcanons made it in there. 
> 
> sorry for the cliffhanger, I may or may not write a part two!!
> 
> As always, stay safe, and stay wonderful, loves!!
> 
> ~PlayerTwoHeere


End file.
